The Golden Longing

by Francis W. Leary

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Andy]

The author and publisher list this book as a biographical study. I received a more complete picture of the people and events of so long ago, compared to historical biographies based on archived records of Church scribes and the ruling class, which shield the details in vague inference. The author was diligent in referencing the sources on record. However, he also openly discussed actual or likely cultural and personal details distilled from oral histories and general knowledge of that period. For example, of the D’Arc biographies that I have read, only this book portrays the degree of torment that Jeanne was likely subjected to in an English prison. As the book spans the key 15th Century events in England, it focuses on the exploits of St Jeanne D’Arc, Marguerite D’Anjou and English King Richard III. Both Jeanne and Marguerite were female military leaders in times when women were not the public face of such roles. So of course the author is going to occasionally discuss popular conceptions of the characters’ anatomy, which he does in similar detail for male and female subjects alike. This unshrouding of the detail is what I liked the most about this book. On the negative side, in the second two sections, the author, clearly a scholar on British royalty, included way too much biographical detail on a broad cast of 15th Century royal family members. While the rich detail in the Jeanne section is great, I would advise myself not to try to read that latter two sections. People who are history buffs may differ with me on that point. If this book involved the 112-page Jeanne section alone, I would rate it 10/10. But I rated the book lower because the latter sections killed too many brain cells on topics that didn’t remotely matter to me, besides further souring my already low impression of Church and royal families.

[Wood Johnson]

I only read the Joan of Arc section. Stylistically it is not interesting because it is a historical text but that is unimportant as the story itself is so unfathomable. The life of Joan of Arc is incredible.

[Eric Mccutcheon]

I normally don't give one star to a book, especially one from my favorite period of history, but this author rubbed me the wrong way. While I can appreciate the differences writing in the '50s versus now, I can't appreciate blatant misogyny. I really don't think repeated descriptions of Joan of Arc's breasts are necessary. I also took exception to repeated notations of quotations from Shakespeare when this is supposedly a work of non-fiction. A poet with an agenda 100 years after the fact probably wasn't too aware of Richard III's thoughts. Like I said, I can read an older account on history and appreciate the perspective. This was not the book for me.

[Jen]

The problem with older non-fiction books is that many of their sources have been disqualified or are inaccurate. And please, Shakespeare is NOT a source. Very embellished. And the author seems to have a thing for breasts. That said, if you read it with a grain of salt, or 12, it is a good read.